Date: 13/10/2006
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government
Title: Hlongwa: Gauteng Provincial AIDS Summit
Speech by Mr Brian Hlongwa MEC for Health in Gauteng on the occasion of the Gauteng Provincial AIDS summit 2006
Programme director
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
HIV and AIDS is probably the biggest health challenge that the world has ever faced. Its importance is magnified by its impact on broader society, beyond those who are either directly infected or affected by the disease.
In a developing economy such as South Africa we are experiencing this impact on issues such as job creation, economic growth, loss of productivity and the allocation of financial resources. It has a draining effect on our budgets for welfare, for looking after both the very young and the elderly, on education and even on our ability to combat crime and manage safety and security. On a daily basis it robs us of some of our best brains, some of our most creative minds, and some of our potential future leaders.
We are, in fact, dealing with a comprehensive assault on society as we know it, where not a single person in Gauteng; man, woman, child, young, old, rich, poor, white, black, healthy, sick can escape the impact. And for this very reason we need a comprehensive response that includes the contribution and the co-operation of every single person in our province.
Events such as this Provincial AIDS summit are very important to mobilise the efforts of the many committed individuals, organisations and volunteers who have dedicated their lives and careers in the treatment and caring for people living with HIV and AIDS. Let me, at the outset, pay tribute to you and to your work to the researchers who are looking for a cure; to the medical practitioners who are treating patients with an admirable degree of professionalism; to the nursing staff who look after patients with the utmost compassion; to the non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and the faith-based organisation (FBO) who brings to our efforts an element of passion; to home-based care-givers and families who are tending patients with such love and dignity.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Quite often we look at the global AIDS statistics and the projections for the growth of this epidemic in Africa with a sense of apprehension and we run the danger of becoming overwhelmed by the magnitude of the issue. We are dazzled by figures, mesmerised by PowerPoint presentations and paralysed by the ominous statistics coming from global think-tanks and research houses.
Our responses tend to follow the same patterns. We set up committees and councils, we draft strategies and action plans, and we plot the effectiveness of our interventions in the finest details. We take heart and courage when we see a slight drop in figures in one specific target group and are driven to despair when there is a blip in the graph in another area.
Please do not get me wrong, I am not downplaying the importance of careful planning or the urgent need to have strong structures and well-equipped programmes in place to ensure a coherent and cohesive response to the challenges.
What I am saying, however, is that we should not forget that our human resources form the frontline of this response. You who are here today, you who are providing medical assistance, you who are involved in counselling of the youth, you who are providing home-based care and you who are spreading the moral messages of prevention and lifestyle changes - you are the most valuable resources that we have and you are our strongest weapons in the battle.
Ladies and gentlemen,
My call on you is not to get disheartened by the size of the big picture but to continue focusing on what you are already doing within your own environment and your own sphere of influence. I am convinced that our ability to turn the tide against HIV and AIDS will as much depend on the large scale dramatic interventions that we are implementing from the side of government than by our ability to reach individuals and to persuade them to change their risky behaviour.
Ladies and gentlemen,
This summit also gives us the opportunity to evaluate our responses and to measure the successes we have achieved, perhaps, also to analyse our failures and to consider alternative responses. In the next two days we will be inundated with statistics and graphs. It is not my intention to add to this body of knowledge. I will leave it to the researchers and the statisticians. I am convinced that we will depart from here with a very thorough understanding of where we are and what our strengths and weaknesses are but also with a clear vision of where we want to go.
I would rather want to focus on two areas where every person in Gauteng and, indeed, in South Africa, can make a contribution in our response to AIDS.
* The first one is: Leadership.
* The second is: Responsibility.
On the issue of leadership, I believe it is time that all of us realise that the size of the AIDS challenge is infinitely bigger than the egos of the individuals concerned. We are faced with an AIDS 'tidal wave' but we squabble among ourselves on who must sit where on the lifeboat, who must be in the back and who must be in the front, who must steer and who must bail out the water.
We simply cannot continue with internal squabbles, personality differences, conflicting egos, private agendas and cheap publicity stunts if we want to make a dent in this campaign. Let us stop shouting at each other and talk to each other. Let us stop dragging each other to court and wasting time and money and rather meet each other around the table.
If we do so we will find that there is much more that we share than what divides us. Let us agree that between government, the medical profession, NGOs and activist organisations we share a common concern about the magnitude of the problem. We share a common understanding about the impact HIV and AIDS is having on our society. We share a common compassion for people living with the disease. We share a common aspiration that the growth of the disease will be halted and, eventually, turned around.
In my humble opinion we share common ground on at least 90% of the issues. Yet, we continue to squabble, to fight and to shout at each other on the remaining ten percent where we might encounter differences of approach and opinions.
We need leaders and not publicity seekers. We need negotiators and not grandstand artists. I think the time has come that all of us involved in this pandemic demand of our leaders to demonstrate maturity and responsibility. Let us forget what has been said in the past, let us leave our egos at the door and let us start talking with warm hearts and cool minds.
From my perspective, I can assure you that it is simply untrue to allege that the government does not take the HIV and AIDS pandemic seriously or that there is any ambivalence on policy or programmes. At Gauteng Health, we spent an extraordinary amount of our time, our efforts and our money on HIV and AIDS.
This year alone, the total budget for this programme has been increased by almost 50 percent to bring it to R514 million.
The Premier of our province is providing leadership not only through his active participation in the Gauteng AIDS Council, but also through the moral content of the messages he is conveying on prevention, on abstinence and on the need for profound changes to lifestyles and sexual behaviour.
I believe that our efforts in Gauteng are already making a measurable difference. Since the inception of the Comprehensive Care Management and Treatment Programme including anti-retroviral treatment, more than 350,000 patients have been assessed and over 41 000, of which 6 000 are children have commenced treatment.
In this financial year, the HIV and AIDS comprehensive care and treatment programme including antiretrovirals will be expanded to hospitals, community health centres and all sub-districts. By the end of this year, there will be 54 operational sites with an estimated 60 000 patients receiving antiretroviral therapy.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The point I am making is that we can differ on the allocation of this budget; we can differ on whether we have the right priorities; we can differ on the effectiveness of our programmes or whether we are reaching the right audiences with the right messages. But we should do so through a mature debate and without demonising those who might have different views to our own.
I am quite optimistic about the prospects of a more constructive relationship between all participants in the AIDS debate in future. I think Cabinet has demonstrated its commitment to the issue with the appointment of the Deputy President to lead and co-ordinate the campaign and I am convinced that she will provide strong and decisive leadership in this regard.
However, ladies and gentlemen, leadership should extend beyond politicians and the high-profiled activists that dominate the media headlines. Each and every one of us is a leader in our own right and each and every one of us has a responsibility to provide direction within our own sphere of influence.
* I have high regard for the very positive contribution made by South African Business Coalition on HIV and AIDS (SABCOHA) and organised business but the time has come that every business in this province steps up its efforts to yet another level to inform their workers and to advise them on prevention, on treatment, on counselling and on personal responsibilities. We need chairmen of the boards, managing directors and chief executive officers to show visible leadership and not to leave it to human resources or internal communications.
* We need church leaders and moral leaders to make HIV and AIDS a central theme of their messages in churches, synagogues and mosques. We simply cannot afford to be coy or shy about the issue. Let us call it by the name.
* We need to talk openly about gender inequality and its impact on the prevalence of HIV and AIDS. We must address these social norms and deep rooted attitudes that women are the possessions of men and that they must be available for sex at the beck and call of males. The current estimates are that at least 30% of girls and women do not have control of the conditions under which they have sex. If we do not change these attitudes we are not going to make a dent in the AIDS figures.
* We have to redouble our national efforts to reduce poverty, create jobs and improve the quality of life of all our people. This is not a political slogan thought out by the ruling party; it is a prerequisite for a stable, prosperous and peaceful South Africa. If we do not reduce poverty and create economic opportunities we will not address some of the root causes of HIV and AIDS.
* Our educators and our teachers should step up the contribution they are making in providing accurate information about behaviour and lifestyle. We have to introduce these programmes at a much earlier stage into our educational system and we have to make the messages clear, simple and easy to understand.
* Our youth's role models should take greater responsibility in conveying correct messages, but also to set the examples in their own lifestyles and social behaviour. Musicians, actors, sportsmen and women should not only be seen performing at big rallies or appear in advertisement but then often send conflicting messages through their own public behaviour.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am concerned that we have been spending millions of rands on awareness programmes over the past decade or more. We have all the messages on billboards and posters; we have produced soap operas and youth programmes; we hold massive rallies and music festivals; we spend weekends in seminars, workshops and lekgotlas.
Yet, we are not able to stem to growth in new HIV infections.
Please, do not misunderstand me. I have the highest regard for the efforts we are making to combat the disease. And we have made tremendous progress through the years to raise awareness and inform people about the lurking dangers.
But, we simply have to ask ourselves how do we move beyond awareness into behavioural change? Despite all our efforts and all our resources why can't we stop new infections? It should now be quite clear to us that a high degree of information and an increased level of knowledge do not automatically translate into safe behaviour and a reduction in new infections. Programme director,
I am encouraged to see that these are exactly the issues that will be on the agenda of this two day summit. I have no doubt that we have assembled here the best brains and the most competent expertise in the fields of medicine, behavioural science, education and communication.
I want to encourage you to speak freely and openly. If you have concerns or reservations about what the department is doing, this is the forum to raise them. We are in this together and we want to jointly find the right approach to this massive challenge facing our country.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I earlier referred to the two issues that I believe are keys to the HIV and AIDS debate. The one is leadership. The other one is personal responsibility.
I have no doubt in my mind that we will not make progress in our efforts to stem the tide of HIV and AIDS if we are not able to persuade each and every individual to take responsibility for his or her individual lifestyle.
Life is made up of choices. And every individual - especially our young people - is presented every day with a vast array of different choices and options. They are being bombarded by messages from the media, from advertising, from role models and from their peer groups.
Quite often we make the wrong choices. And we see that on a daily basis in the growth in alcohol and substance abuse, the growth in the drug trade, the steady erosion of family values, the carnage on our roads, family and gender violence, the abuse of children, the low status of women in our society. We can go on and on - but suffice to emphasise that this destruction of societal and moral values is a major contributing factor to the continuing growth of HIV infections and the prevalence of AIDS.
Within this wild cacophony of enticing messages and lurid options you as health professionals and moral leaders have to bring the 'boring messages' of abstinence, faithfulness in relationships and the use of condoms during sexual activities. I don't think anybody envies your task and we want to commend you for your enduring efforts.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We have to ensure that we throw a blanket of credible information and correct messages across the entire Gauteng. We have to use every single medium at our disposal and use every opportunity available to hammer home the same messages: prevention, lifestyle change, respect for your own life and those of your partners.
We should never forget that the prevention of new HIV infections must remain our top priority in order to reduce the future impact of AIDS. And although our research shows that the knowledge of HIV prevention, especially among the youth is growing, we must redouble our efforts to ensure that knowledge is turned into action.
I am pleased to say that there are today in Gauteng very few sectors of society that do not form an integral and valued part of our response to AIDS. Together with our partners from government, business and civil society we are taking the key messages to the suburbs and the informal settlements; to the media, to schools, to places of entertainment and to sports fields, to the workplace and to schools.
I believe that we are indeed making a difference in the lives of the people of Gauteng. Our objective is to develop healthy, skilled and productive people that can take our province into the future and ensure a better life for our people. I trust that this provincial AIDS summit will help to accelerate this process.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Health, Gauteng Provincial Government
13 October 2006
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government
Title: Hlongwa: Gauteng Provincial AIDS Summit
Speech by Mr Brian Hlongwa MEC for Health in Gauteng on the occasion of the Gauteng Provincial AIDS summit 2006
Programme director
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
HIV and AIDS is probably the biggest health challenge that the world has ever faced. Its importance is magnified by its impact on broader society, beyond those who are either directly infected or affected by the disease.
In a developing economy such as South Africa we are experiencing this impact on issues such as job creation, economic growth, loss of productivity and the allocation of financial resources. It has a draining effect on our budgets for welfare, for looking after both the very young and the elderly, on education and even on our ability to combat crime and manage safety and security. On a daily basis it robs us of some of our best brains, some of our most creative minds, and some of our potential future leaders.
We are, in fact, dealing with a comprehensive assault on society as we know it, where not a single person in Gauteng; man, woman, child, young, old, rich, poor, white, black, healthy, sick can escape the impact. And for this very reason we need a comprehensive response that includes the contribution and the co-operation of every single person in our province.
Events such as this Provincial AIDS summit are very important to mobilise the efforts of the many committed individuals, organisations and volunteers who have dedicated their lives and careers in the treatment and caring for people living with HIV and AIDS. Let me, at the outset, pay tribute to you and to your work to the researchers who are looking for a cure; to the medical practitioners who are treating patients with an admirable degree of professionalism; to the nursing staff who look after patients with the utmost compassion; to the non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and the faith-based organisation (FBO) who brings to our efforts an element of passion; to home-based care-givers and families who are tending patients with such love and dignity.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Quite often we look at the global AIDS statistics and the projections for the growth of this epidemic in Africa with a sense of apprehension and we run the danger of becoming overwhelmed by the magnitude of the issue. We are dazzled by figures, mesmerised by PowerPoint presentations and paralysed by the ominous statistics coming from global think-tanks and research houses.
Our responses tend to follow the same patterns. We set up committees and councils, we draft strategies and action plans, and we plot the effectiveness of our interventions in the finest details. We take heart and courage when we see a slight drop in figures in one specific target group and are driven to despair when there is a blip in the graph in another area.
Please do not get me wrong, I am not downplaying the importance of careful planning or the urgent need to have strong structures and well-equipped programmes in place to ensure a coherent and cohesive response to the challenges.
What I am saying, however, is that we should not forget that our human resources form the frontline of this response. You who are here today, you who are providing medical assistance, you who are involved in counselling of the youth, you who are providing home-based care and you who are spreading the moral messages of prevention and lifestyle changes - you are the most valuable resources that we have and you are our strongest weapons in the battle.
Ladies and gentlemen,
My call on you is not to get disheartened by the size of the big picture but to continue focusing on what you are already doing within your own environment and your own sphere of influence. I am convinced that our ability to turn the tide against HIV and AIDS will as much depend on the large scale dramatic interventions that we are implementing from the side of government than by our ability to reach individuals and to persuade them to change their risky behaviour.
Ladies and gentlemen,
This summit also gives us the opportunity to evaluate our responses and to measure the successes we have achieved, perhaps, also to analyse our failures and to consider alternative responses. In the next two days we will be inundated with statistics and graphs. It is not my intention to add to this body of knowledge. I will leave it to the researchers and the statisticians. I am convinced that we will depart from here with a very thorough understanding of where we are and what our strengths and weaknesses are but also with a clear vision of where we want to go.
I would rather want to focus on two areas where every person in Gauteng and, indeed, in South Africa, can make a contribution in our response to AIDS.
* The first one is: Leadership.
* The second is: Responsibility.
On the issue of leadership, I believe it is time that all of us realise that the size of the AIDS challenge is infinitely bigger than the egos of the individuals concerned. We are faced with an AIDS 'tidal wave' but we squabble among ourselves on who must sit where on the lifeboat, who must be in the back and who must be in the front, who must steer and who must bail out the water.
We simply cannot continue with internal squabbles, personality differences, conflicting egos, private agendas and cheap publicity stunts if we want to make a dent in this campaign. Let us stop shouting at each other and talk to each other. Let us stop dragging each other to court and wasting time and money and rather meet each other around the table.
If we do so we will find that there is much more that we share than what divides us. Let us agree that between government, the medical profession, NGOs and activist organisations we share a common concern about the magnitude of the problem. We share a common understanding about the impact HIV and AIDS is having on our society. We share a common compassion for people living with the disease. We share a common aspiration that the growth of the disease will be halted and, eventually, turned around.
In my humble opinion we share common ground on at least 90% of the issues. Yet, we continue to squabble, to fight and to shout at each other on the remaining ten percent where we might encounter differences of approach and opinions.
We need leaders and not publicity seekers. We need negotiators and not grandstand artists. I think the time has come that all of us involved in this pandemic demand of our leaders to demonstrate maturity and responsibility. Let us forget what has been said in the past, let us leave our egos at the door and let us start talking with warm hearts and cool minds.
From my perspective, I can assure you that it is simply untrue to allege that the government does not take the HIV and AIDS pandemic seriously or that there is any ambivalence on policy or programmes. At Gauteng Health, we spent an extraordinary amount of our time, our efforts and our money on HIV and AIDS.
This year alone, the total budget for this programme has been increased by almost 50 percent to bring it to R514 million.
The Premier of our province is providing leadership not only through his active participation in the Gauteng AIDS Council, but also through the moral content of the messages he is conveying on prevention, on abstinence and on the need for profound changes to lifestyles and sexual behaviour.
I believe that our efforts in Gauteng are already making a measurable difference. Since the inception of the Comprehensive Care Management and Treatment Programme including anti-retroviral treatment, more than 350,000 patients have been assessed and over 41 000, of which 6 000 are children have commenced treatment.
In this financial year, the HIV and AIDS comprehensive care and treatment programme including antiretrovirals will be expanded to hospitals, community health centres and all sub-districts. By the end of this year, there will be 54 operational sites with an estimated 60 000 patients receiving antiretroviral therapy.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The point I am making is that we can differ on the allocation of this budget; we can differ on whether we have the right priorities; we can differ on the effectiveness of our programmes or whether we are reaching the right audiences with the right messages. But we should do so through a mature debate and without demonising those who might have different views to our own.
I am quite optimistic about the prospects of a more constructive relationship between all participants in the AIDS debate in future. I think Cabinet has demonstrated its commitment to the issue with the appointment of the Deputy President to lead and co-ordinate the campaign and I am convinced that she will provide strong and decisive leadership in this regard.
However, ladies and gentlemen, leadership should extend beyond politicians and the high-profiled activists that dominate the media headlines. Each and every one of us is a leader in our own right and each and every one of us has a responsibility to provide direction within our own sphere of influence.
* I have high regard for the very positive contribution made by South African Business Coalition on HIV and AIDS (SABCOHA) and organised business but the time has come that every business in this province steps up its efforts to yet another level to inform their workers and to advise them on prevention, on treatment, on counselling and on personal responsibilities. We need chairmen of the boards, managing directors and chief executive officers to show visible leadership and not to leave it to human resources or internal communications.
* We need church leaders and moral leaders to make HIV and AIDS a central theme of their messages in churches, synagogues and mosques. We simply cannot afford to be coy or shy about the issue. Let us call it by the name.
* We need to talk openly about gender inequality and its impact on the prevalence of HIV and AIDS. We must address these social norms and deep rooted attitudes that women are the possessions of men and that they must be available for sex at the beck and call of males. The current estimates are that at least 30% of girls and women do not have control of the conditions under which they have sex. If we do not change these attitudes we are not going to make a dent in the AIDS figures.
* We have to redouble our national efforts to reduce poverty, create jobs and improve the quality of life of all our people. This is not a political slogan thought out by the ruling party; it is a prerequisite for a stable, prosperous and peaceful South Africa. If we do not reduce poverty and create economic opportunities we will not address some of the root causes of HIV and AIDS.
* Our educators and our teachers should step up the contribution they are making in providing accurate information about behaviour and lifestyle. We have to introduce these programmes at a much earlier stage into our educational system and we have to make the messages clear, simple and easy to understand.
* Our youth's role models should take greater responsibility in conveying correct messages, but also to set the examples in their own lifestyles and social behaviour. Musicians, actors, sportsmen and women should not only be seen performing at big rallies or appear in advertisement but then often send conflicting messages through their own public behaviour.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am concerned that we have been spending millions of rands on awareness programmes over the past decade or more. We have all the messages on billboards and posters; we have produced soap operas and youth programmes; we hold massive rallies and music festivals; we spend weekends in seminars, workshops and lekgotlas.
Yet, we are not able to stem to growth in new HIV infections.
Please, do not misunderstand me. I have the highest regard for the efforts we are making to combat the disease. And we have made tremendous progress through the years to raise awareness and inform people about the lurking dangers.
But, we simply have to ask ourselves how do we move beyond awareness into behavioural change? Despite all our efforts and all our resources why can't we stop new infections? It should now be quite clear to us that a high degree of information and an increased level of knowledge do not automatically translate into safe behaviour and a reduction in new infections. Programme director,
I am encouraged to see that these are exactly the issues that will be on the agenda of this two day summit. I have no doubt that we have assembled here the best brains and the most competent expertise in the fields of medicine, behavioural science, education and communication.
I want to encourage you to speak freely and openly. If you have concerns or reservations about what the department is doing, this is the forum to raise them. We are in this together and we want to jointly find the right approach to this massive challenge facing our country.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I earlier referred to the two issues that I believe are keys to the HIV and AIDS debate. The one is leadership. The other one is personal responsibility.
I have no doubt in my mind that we will not make progress in our efforts to stem the tide of HIV and AIDS if we are not able to persuade each and every individual to take responsibility for his or her individual lifestyle.
Life is made up of choices. And every individual - especially our young people - is presented every day with a vast array of different choices and options. They are being bombarded by messages from the media, from advertising, from role models and from their peer groups.
Quite often we make the wrong choices. And we see that on a daily basis in the growth in alcohol and substance abuse, the growth in the drug trade, the steady erosion of family values, the carnage on our roads, family and gender violence, the abuse of children, the low status of women in our society. We can go on and on - but suffice to emphasise that this destruction of societal and moral values is a major contributing factor to the continuing growth of HIV infections and the prevalence of AIDS.
Within this wild cacophony of enticing messages and lurid options you as health professionals and moral leaders have to bring the 'boring messages' of abstinence, faithfulness in relationships and the use of condoms during sexual activities. I don't think anybody envies your task and we want to commend you for your enduring efforts.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We have to ensure that we throw a blanket of credible information and correct messages across the entire Gauteng. We have to use every single medium at our disposal and use every opportunity available to hammer home the same messages: prevention, lifestyle change, respect for your own life and those of your partners.
We should never forget that the prevention of new HIV infections must remain our top priority in order to reduce the future impact of AIDS. And although our research shows that the knowledge of HIV prevention, especially among the youth is growing, we must redouble our efforts to ensure that knowledge is turned into action.
I am pleased to say that there are today in Gauteng very few sectors of society that do not form an integral and valued part of our response to AIDS. Together with our partners from government, business and civil society we are taking the key messages to the suburbs and the informal settlements; to the media, to schools, to places of entertainment and to sports fields, to the workplace and to schools.
I believe that we are indeed making a difference in the lives of the people of Gauteng. Our objective is to develop healthy, skilled and productive people that can take our province into the future and ensure a better life for our people. I trust that this provincial AIDS summit will help to accelerate this process.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Health, Gauteng Provincial Government
13 October 2006
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